Bollywood is one industry of work which has seen some of the most brutal cold wars between actors. While the reason behind the same has been diverse, we have also witnessed some of these being reconciled amicably over a few years. One such case was between Bollywood’s Badshaah, Shah Rukh Khan and the often hailed ‘Greek God’ of the Hindi film industry, Hrithik Roshan. For the unversed, the duo had worked together for the first time in the 2001 film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and it was apparently on the sets of the film itself that the duo was reported to not be on the same page.
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Karan Johar’s 2001 hit film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, became the highest-grossing movie back then and one of the most loved cult classics for generations to come. While its superbly talented multi-stellar cast was one of the biggest reasons behind its over-achievement, it was also partly because of the family-oriented plot line of the film, which had touched the hearts of the fans. However, did you know that during the making of this film, there was a real-life cold war between the two lead actors?
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Well, it is correct. In his autobiography, An Unsuitable Boy, the filmmaker, Karan Johar, had pondered upon the same and revealed how Shah Rukh Khan ignored and kept a distance from Hrithik Roshan, who was comparatively new in the business than the former. The filmmaker also revealed how SRK was particularly a bit incensed due to Hrithik’s massive debut, Kaho Na Pyar Hai, which was released a year before and made him be hailed as the next big thing, in comparison to SRK's own poorly working films at the box office at that time. Karan Johar mentioned:
“It was unfair because he was too junior, and Shah Rukh was already such a big star. But that was a phase when one or two of Shah Rukh’s films had gone wrong and the media had started projecting Hrithik up there. The negativity that crept in was not justified or correct, and it was really sad. I felt Hrithik was the only one during the course of the shooting who needed a little hand-holding.
This little case of cold war was not only directed by SRK, but also by the other mega stars in the film, including Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Kajol towards Hrithik Roshan. According to Karan Johar, all the senior actors who maintained a great rapport with Shah Rukh Khan were particularly not pleased with a newcomer like Hrithik getting all the limelight. Revealing how it was Karan Johar who had to rescue the latter from all the unfamiliarity meted out against Hrithik, the former mentioned:
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“See, the Bachchans didn’t have that equation with him. Shah Rukh was a bit distant at that time because of everything that was happening. Kajol was Team Shah Rukh. I felt I needed to hold his hand a bit. And we developed a really good friendship. We got close to each other— he was a bit of a lost child in this whole lot. And Hrithik, anyway, is slightly awkward around people. He’s not the most people-friendly person. Now he’s become a lot better.”
While Hrithik Roshan had received a lot of negligence from the film's other stars, he was particularly close to his on-screen partner in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kareena Kapoor Khan. For the unversed, Hrithik and Kareena were said to be involved in a romantic relationship during the shooting of this film, even though the former was already married to his wife, Sussanne Khan, by that time. In one of Kareena’s earlier interviews, she spoke about the most annoying habit of her co-star, Hrithik, on the sets of K3G and revealed:
“He has this irritating habit of taking soooo long in front of the mirror before a shot. On the sets of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham even Kajol would get irritated with him. Especially since it is very hot on the sets.''
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Hrithik Roshan created a super successful name for himself in Bollywood right with his debut film, Kaho Na Pyar Hai. The film was directed by the former’s father, Rakesh Roshan, and it was a life-changing decision for the actor. Interestingly, Rakesh Roshan originally had Shah Rukh Khan in his mind for the titular role of the film and was keen on casting him for the same. But it was his son, Hrithik, who had discouraged the former from doing so, post which he was pulled into the same. In an interview with Baradwaj Rangan, Hrithik recalled this particular anecdote from his debut film and revealed:
“He was making a film at that time with Shah Rukh or Aamir which fell through. And he had another thought, and while he was working on the scripting of that film with all the writers — and I was a part of this process — some weeks into it, everyone started feeling that this film needs a new boy or new girl. You have seen big stars do these roles, and even I was a part of that, that noise. Even I was like, yes, papa, I don’t want to see Shah Rukh do this. And, when this got very repetitive, he said, that’s not what I had in mind, I’m taking you in the film.”
What do you think about Shah Rukh Khan’s cold war with Hrithik Roshan?
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